Support for vehicle-tops.



. PATENTED JULY 16, 1907! A. H. GURLEY & W. D. ROBERTS. SUPPORT FORVEHICLE TOPS.

APPLIGATION FILED NOV. 27, 1906.

VII/I/I/III/IIII/II/II.

W/YWESSH lA V/iA T J Y A J4TTOWYS I Tl l YORRIS PETERS CO ISHINUTON D C,UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE."

ARTHUR H. GURLEY AND WALKER D. OBERTS, or MERIDIAN, MISSISSIPPI.

SUPPORT FOR VEHICLE-TOPS.

Specification of Letters Patent Patented July 16, 1907.

Application filed November 27,1906. SerialNo. 345,322.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ARTHUR H. GUR'LEY and WAL- KER D. ROBERTS, citizensof the United States, residing at Meridian, in the county of Lauderdaleand State of Mississippi, have invented a new and useful Support forVehicle-Tops, of which the following is a specification. I

This invention relates to supports for vehicle tops and moreparticularly to means for supporting buggy tops when the same are in acollapsed position.

The object of the invention is to provide a resilient support which canbe readily connected to the usual cover support of a buggy or othervehicle and which will serve to cushion the cover when the same isthrown backward.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction and combinations of parts which will behereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings is shown the preferred form of theinvention. 7

In said drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation showing a buggy topengaging the supporting device; Fig; 2 is an enlarged transverse sectionthrough the device and'showing the means for connecting it to the buggy;and Fig. 3 is a detail view of the support detached.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference,

1 is a bow-shaped spring support constituting the body of the supportand having its central portion 2 of increased width and formed withparallel longitudinal slots 3. That portion of the body between theslots is struck upward or arched as shown at 4 while those remainingportions of the strip are struck downward to form retaining straps 5.Ears 6 extend from the'centers of these straps for the purposeshereinafter explained. Formed integral with the ends of the strip 1 areupstanding yokes 7 constituting spring clips, the ends of these yokesbeing out-turned as shown at 8.

A lining 9 of leather or other suitablematerial is secured within eachof the yokes. In using this device the same is fastened to the buggy'orother vehicle by extending the ordinary cover support 10 between thearched portion 4 and the retaining strips 5, the ears 6 serving toprevent lateral. movement of the strip as indicated in Fig. 2. Theyokes7 will therefore be held in the path of the buggy top 11 and bylowering said top the same will be seated within the yokes as shown inFig. 1. Said yokes act as clips to tightly embrace a portion of the topframe and as they are lined with leather or other soft material theywill not injure said frame by scratching it. As the entire support ismade of heavy spring metal the same will act as a cushion so that whenthe cover is thrown violently backward it will drop into the yokes andbe cushioned by them.

The preferred form of the invention has been set forth in the foregoingdescription but we do not limit ourselves thereto as we are aware thatmodifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit orsacrificing the advantages thereof, and we therefore reserve the rightto make such changes as fairly fall within the scope of the claims.

What is claimed ism of spring metal comprising a body having an npstruckintermediate arched portion, oppositely bowed holding strips adjacentopposite sides of the arched portion, and yokes extending from the endsof the body.

2. A support for vehicle tops comprising a spring body having anintermediate arched portion, holding strips adjacent and integral withthe arched portionfspacing ears extending from said strips, and yokesupstanding from the ends of the body.

3. A support for vehicle tops comprising a spring body having anintermediate arched portion, and holding strips adjacent and integralwith the arched portion, spacing-ears extending from said strips, yokesupstanding from the ends of the body, and cushions within the yokes.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own, we have heretoafiixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

ARTHUR H. GURLEY. WALKER D. RGBERTS.

